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Showing posts from September, 2020

Peregrine falcon

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Sept 29, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. From the pontoon boat, we saw two peregrines perched then flying on the south beach near Erieau. Falco peregrinus The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.

Northern parula

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Sept 27, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Waiting for his turn in the little stream. Setophaga americana Some bird names are hard to pronounce, and the Northern Parula has started its share of lively debates. Most people say "par-OOH-la" or "PAR-eh-la," while others say "PAR-you-la."

Chestnut-sided warbler

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Sept 24, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A fall visitor to the pond. Setophaga pensylvanica In fall, this bird molts into lime-green and grayish white plumage with a distinctive white eyering, and heads to thickets, shade-coffee plantations, and second growth forest in Central America.

A few pine siskin dropped in for a visit yesterday.

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Pine siskin, Sept 23, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. This is just a few of the siskin that came to the yard. The pond was a popular place. Spinus pinus Pine Siskins can temporarily store seeds totaling as much as 10% of their body mass in a part of their esophagus called the crop. The energy in that amount of food could get them through 5–6 nighttime hours of subzero temperatures.

Lawrence's warbler

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Sept 23, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A blue wing/golden wing crossbreed. First time in the yard. Sixteen warbler species in the yard in one day, 43 species overall, what a great day! Vermivora cyanoptera x chrysoptera This bird does not rise to full species level but is a hybrid of two recognized species, the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) and the Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera).

Scarlet tanager

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Sept 19, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another fall visitor at the pond. Piranga olivacea The response of the Scarlet Tanager to habitat fragmentation varies from place to place. Results from the Cornell Lab’s Project Tanager indicate that in the heart of the species’ range in the Northeast, it can be found in small forest patches. In the Midwest, similar sized forest patches tend to have no tanagers.

American goldfinch

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Sept 16, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Soggy goldfinch bathing in our little water feature. Spinus tristis Paired-up goldfinches make virtually identical flight calls; goldfinches may be able to distinguish members of various pairs by these calls.

Pine warbler

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Sept 16, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. One of the confusing fall warblers, needed help from several experienced birders before it was finally identified. Setophaga pinus Most warblers leave the continental U.S. for winter, but the Pine Warbler stays in the Southeast and is one of the first to return northward in spring. It arrives as early as February in areas just north of the wintering range and may begin breeding by late April.

Pied-billed grebe

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 15, 2020 While out on the pontoon boat we found this grebe, not very concerned about us. Podilymbus podiceps Pied-billed Grebe chicks typically leave the nest the first day after hatching and spend much of their first week riding around on a parent’s back. They usually spend most of their first 3 weeks on or near the nest platform.

Swainson's thrush

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Sept 10, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Always a pleasure to see one of these thrushes in the pond. Catharus ustulatus In New England spruce-fir forests, the nests of Swainson’s Thrushes are often lined with root-like cords of horsehair fungus. The fungal filaments can have antibiotic effects and may help deter nest pathogens. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Thrush

Black-throated green

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at the pond, Sept 10, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another fall warbler visiting the pond. Setophaga virens One male Black-throated Green Warbler was observed singing 466 songs in one hour.

Purple finch

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Sept 10, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. An occasional visitor to the feeders and pond in the yard. Haemorhous purpureus Into their rich warbling songs, Purple Finches sometimes add in the sounds of other species, including Barn Swallows, American Goldfinches, Eastern Towhees, and Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Ruddy turnstone

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 9, 2020. Seen while out on the pontoon on Rondeau Bay. Arenaria interpres Young turnstones need to grow up and learn to fly quickly. They take their first flight when they are around 19 days old and fly thousands of miles to the nonbreeding grounds 2 days later. To make things harder, their parents will have departed by this time, leaving the youngsters to make their first migration on their own. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Turnstone

Canada warbler

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 10, 2020. One of 5 warbler species at the pond today. Several other "good" species as well. Cardellina canadensis Canada Warblers fly more than 3,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada.

Female Tennessee warbler

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 8, 2020. Another visitor having a bath in the stream. Leiothlypis peregrina Despite breeding no closer to the state of Tennessee than northern Michigan, 600 miles away, the Tennessee Warbler was given its name by Alexander Wilson based on a bird he encountered in Tennessee during its migration.

Immature magnolia warbler

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 7, 2020. Flitting around our small water feature. Only warbler of the day. Setophaga magnolia In 1810, Alexander Wilson collected a warbler from a magnolia tree in Mississippi, giving it the English name "Black-and-yellow Warbler" and "magnolia" for the scientific species name, which became the common name over time. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Magnolia_Warbler/overview

How long is a hummingbirds tongue?

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Ruby throated hummingbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 4, 2020. Didn't realize I had caught it stick his tongue out. Archilochus colubris It turns out that hummingbirds use their tongues as elastic ‘micropumps’, which work in a similar way to how we drink from straws. Only they use elastic energy stored at the base of the tongue to bring up nectar, rather than creating a vacuum in a straw like we do. It’s more like how we take up liquids using a squeezy pipette. And this is going on at seriously high speed – a hummingbird’s tongue will go in and out of a flower up to twenty times per second! source- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/facts-about-hummingbirds/

Red-breasted nuthatch

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, August 20, 2020. A recent visitor to our pond. Sitta canadensis Red-breasted Nuthatches migrate southward earlier than many irruptive species. They may begin in early July and may reach their southernmost point by September or October. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/

Red-bellied woodpecker.

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Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Aug 27, 2020. Melanerpes carolinus A Red-bellied Woodpecker can stick out its tongue nearly 2 inches past the end of its beak. The tip is barbed and the bird’s spit is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices. Males have longer, wider-tipped tongues than females, possibly allowing a breeding pair to forage in slightly different places on their territory and maximize their use of available food.